Poor Aunt Alice
by blind shadows
Summary: Clara Manchester, the daughter of Margret Kingsley and Lowell Manchester, is stuck at another boring, uptight ball. So when it all turns upside down what will she do?


Hey everyone this idea just popped in to my head and wouldn't leave me alone so heres what came out of it. :D Read and Review pleaseeeeee

(1) I think this is how you spell her name but if not can someone please let me know thanks!

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The ball was going just as planned. The band was playing a tune to which most of the couples in attendance were swirling and spinning to. The tables were lay out around the hall with people sat around them. Each had their own delightful chatter commencing and everybody seemed to be getting along. Food overflowed on the far table. Sausages, pork and beef were cooked to perfection with salad and roasted vegetables for on the side. The cakes and other sweet foods were lain out on the opposite side of the room. Wine was flowing freely as everyone laughed together.

A young girl of maybe 19 stood in a corner, apart from everyone else. She had long, blonde hair that was painfully tied up. It was slick to her head with a twist in the back; pinned by an ornate butterfly clip. She wore a light pink dress that was tightened around the waist and ended around her knees. Her long legs were covered by stockings and a small pair of pink dolly shoes. The girl, Clara Manchester, looked highly uncomfortable in the formal environment and so had excluded herself the best she could given the circumstance.

"Come along Clara. Harrison would like to dance with you." Her Father, Lowell, said formally. His posture was stiff with a straight back and a fake smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Clara sighed but followed him out of her small retreat. She was led through crowds of giggling girls and laughing gentlemen. They finally arrived at the other side of the hall where Harrison was stood. He was the son of Hamish and a rich French woman that Clara still couldn't pronounce the name of. He had gone on to marry her when Clara's Aunt Alice turned down his marriage proposal and sailed to China.

Harrison was a young Gentleman of her own age. He had dark skin with lighter streaks and sculpted features. His skin was a smooth cream and his lips were a dark red. Deep blue eyes complimented his skin tone and made them 'pop' as some girls said. His wore a full suit, tie and waistcoat underneath a jacket.

'It must be awfully hot under all of them layers' Clara thought.

"Aah Clara." Harrison remarked and slid over to her side. He gripped her elbow slightly and leant in towards her ear. "Care to take a dance?" He asked but before she could deny him he had whisked them away in to the centre of the dancing.

They moved through the practiced steps with ease and Clara let her mind wander. She was jerked out of her thoughts when her shoulder collided with that of another Ladys.

"I'm terribly sorry Miss Manchester is distracted today." He remarked and pulled her off the dance floor. "What is with you?" He hissed at her and she just mentally rolled her eyes at him.

"I was just wondering what would happen if we were to abolish all rules of etiquette for a day."

"Why would you waste your time thinking of such things? It doesn't matter anyway, just meet me in front of the band in 10 minutes."

He left without another word and so Clara made her way over to her Aunt Alice. Everyone in attendance had mixed feelings about the blonde. After all she had travelled to China and established roots and connections there. This led to her travelling all over the world and expanding her Fathers business. She, however, didn't marry and so many were torn over their rules of society and trying to climb the political ladder. Alice after all held a lot of leeway in many countries and lots of people owed her favours. Now Alice was a strong woman until around 5 years ago when the madness took over her.

"Aunt Alice?" Clara asked hesitantly bringing Alice out of her stupor.

"Yes?" She asked and looked expectantly at Clara.

"I would just like to know more about, what was it? Wonderland?" At this Alice tittered a laugh that soon escalated into a full blown cackle.

"Underland is what it's called. I once called it Wonderland and I believed it to be so for many years after but I was soon corrected by my dear friend the Hatter." She drifted off again and so I asked another question.

"Who is the Hatter?" She blinked and tears slowly filled her eyes.

"Who is the Hatter?" She repeated. "The Hatter is the greatest man I ever knew. Tarrant his name was but I only learnt that just before I left. He used to make the most wondrous of hats and I very much believe he could make anything you asked of him. I wonder whether he made The White Queens dress. I think so. After all it does resemble one of the Red Queens hats. Down with the bloody big head. He could weave the most intricate of patterns with the most delicate of threads. He wore the most outrageously beautiful clothes you will ever see. Everything about him was colourful and bright; even his personality. Though if you got him mad enough his accent would change from a jolly happy tone in to deep Scottish. It was probably because of all that Mercury. Ooh and his eyes were the brightest green you will ever see. They changed with his accent though. He has frizzy orange hair that stands on end under his top hat. He won't take the price tag off though but I suppose I can understand that with what happened to his clan. When I first met him he was having tea. In fact every time I have met him he has been having tea. This could be because of what happened between him and time. Only he could be accused of trying to murder time. How I miss my Hatter." She said.

Despite laughing a few times during her speech tears were streaming down her slightly wrinkled face. I patted her hand gently but she just drifted back in to her dream land and so I left her sitting alone.

Checking the time I made my way to the band and found Harrison waiting for me. I stood in front of him and he took both of my hands in his. The band abruptly stopped and everyone turned to face us. My face stained slightly red at the eyes on me but as soon as he knelt down on one knee any colour I had in my face disappeared in a quick flood.

"Clara Manchester, daughter of Margret Manchester formally Kingsleigh and of Lowell Manchester, will you marry me?" He asked with a fake smile that showed too much teeth.

I could only stutter in shock and outrage at being set up by my parents. I couldn't think of a valid excuse to why ever not, other than I didn't love him. As this wouldn't settle with most of community I decided to stall.

"I need a moment." I said and ran out of the door and in to the gardens.

I ran through the maze and in to a little passage I found when I was younger. It led in to a small wood that we owned out back and it was the only place I could escape to when I was younger. I ran blindly though the trees until I came to a little clearing. There was someone in the clearing with me.

The woman was bent over the bottom of a tree. She has long curly blond hair and it trailed down her back. Her dress was coated in a layer of mud from the slightly wet ground and he bag she had carried was slowly sinking in to the mud.

I walked cautiously towards her and when I was about 10 meters away from her I finally recognised who it was.

"Aunt Alice!" I called and she turned her head towards me. I started to walk towards her but something jumped out at me.

I screamed and dived forwards to avoid whatever was coming at my head. What I hadn't counted on though was there to be a rabbit hole under the tree. I fell towards it but instead of just falling next to it or hitting the slightly damp ground beneath I kept falling.

I passed sofas and chairs. A self-playing piano flew right next to me. As books and smaller objects fell towards me but didn't touch I started to let my mind wander.

'Is this the way to wonderland?' I thought. It sounded familiar and the only person willing to tell a story with self-playing pianos and never ending rabbit holes would be my Aunt Alice. I remember as a little girl wanting to live in the stories she used to tell. To live in the world of talking flowers, smoking caterpillars, flying rocking horses, painted roses and a disappearing cat was a dream too far to reach. When I was around 9 my Mother and Father sat me down and explained that Aunt Alice, my hero, wasn't entirely there as they put it. It broke my heart to hear these things coming from them that I couldn't listen to my Aunt Alice the way I used to.

I couldn't think of a reason that my Aunt Alice would lie to me. After all she had been so truthful all my life and she had sworn t these stories were true so I kept believing in what she was telling me. My parent saw that didn't believe them and so started to pull me away from my Aunt. She told e stories of colour and wonder; things I could only dream about. When Aunt Alice finally stopped clinging to the hope that she wasn't completely barmy she began to drift away from everyone. She stopped going out and was reluctant to meet anyone new. All she did was lie in bed and dream.

If I am truthful to myself I still do believe. I believe in all the wild, colourful, exciting tales that she would go on about; especially now that I am experiencing one for myself.

I landed in a small checked room with my hair standing on end and a chandelier pointing upwards. I took a moment to gather my bearings and when I finally realised where I was the entire room swirled around until I was sitting on the floor in a pile of dress layers and hair.

I stood up and looked around at what I had with me. There was a little table in the centre of the room with a key on it. The key, so small it matched my pinkie in size, fit one of the doors around the edge of the room. I checked each door but to no avail. The key was too small to fit any of the locks so as I walked around the room again I started to look for a smaller door.

There was one hidden behind a drapery. I placed the key in the lock and gave a slight turn. When I peered through I saw a place just like Aunt Alice had described to me all them years ago. The trees were moving and the flowers were talking. Small animals whizzed by the door frame and I gave a gasp of surprise when a small mouse came barging through the door and giving my nose a sharp stab of her sword.

"Where do you think you have been?" She shouted at me. I jumped backwards and gave her a slightly fearful look.

"What do you mean?" I asked and she tilted her head a little to the side.

"You are Alice aren't you?" She asked and I shook my head.

"Oh no! Oh no!" She muttered pulling at her ears. "Poor Hatter. Alice has moved on and he hasn't. Alice has had a child and he hasn't even spoken to those that haven't come and either visited or asked for a hat. Oh no. Oh no."

I looked at her confused as she paced. 'did she say Alice's child?' I thought and shook my head quickly.

"I'm not Alice's child. I'm her niece." I said and the mouse's air changed instantly.

"Well that's ok then. Poor Hatter would have been devastated and at least now all the poor tea sets he would have smashed won't be." She said dragging me over to the table. "Here drink this." She said handing me a small bottle of liquid. "Not too much though or you'll be smaller than me."

I did as she asked and took a sip of the liquid. It tasted of honey and sugar but as soon as this registered in my brain I watched the world become bigger. The table that had once been at my waist was now far too big for me to reach the top of and the door I had opened was suddenly the right size.

"I didn't catch your name." The mouse said.

"I'm Clara." I said and she continued to speak.

"Well I'm Mallyumpkin (1) and I am going to take you to see Absolum. He'll know what to do."

"Actually," I said and she turned to me shocked. "I would like to go and see The Hatter please. After all I have something I would like us all to do…"

*3 Underladian hours have passed while barely 5 minutes have passed in London*

I pushed open the doors to the hall in which the proposal had happened. Everyone was still stood around talking though Harrison was no longer kneeling. He was talking to his Mother And Father in heated whispers.

"Hello everyone and sorry to keep you waiting; now I would like to start off by talking to Harrison as it is his proposal. I'm sorry to do this but I can't marry you. I understand that everyone here wants me to and that I couldn't do much better than a Lord but I will either marry for love or not at all. It is a decision I don't expect anyone to understand but I do expect you to allow me to make it." Everyone in the hall had gasped when I refused but now hushed whispers filled the hall. "Silence!"

The hall became silent and I scanned the crowd for my Aunt Alice. She was sitting in the back watching the affair. Her hands were clapping silently and a proud smile graced her face. For the first time in five years I saw the beauty that she hid.

"Now I have something that is going to shock you but it is a special thank you to my Aunt Alice. She is such a strong woman and I now see what she was talking about. It is the influence she has left on other people that has given me the courage to stand up for what I want and what I want to do with my life. I have to thank her for all the support she gave me when I was younger and that scrap of childhood dreams she has inspired me to keep hold of. The stories of colour and madness and muchness are what have helped me believe in the things I thought were impossible. This is why I have brought some friends along to show you just how much we care…"

At that moment the door opened. There was a blast of colour and everyone recoiled from the loud clothes and the smiling faces.

"Well I do see what she meant. How can anyone live in somewhere that looks so… so… so…?"

"…dull?" Mallyumpkin finished for the small white rabbit in a waistcoat.

"Yes that's the word. Dull."

A blanket of silence had enveloped the room as the visitors were speaking. Again the silence penetrated the room and the tension between the guests and the Londoners was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

In the back of the group a man stood. His suit was bright and his top hat tall but an anxious look was spread across his features. The bright green of his eyes was darting back and forth looking for Alice. When, after a moment, she stepped forth from the crowd a grin bigger than everyone else's spread across his face and he jumped forward through the gap in between his friends.

"I told you I couldn't forget you." She said with tears running down her face and a small smile gracing her lips.

"I have missed you and your muchness Alice." He said and walked towards her. He stopped just in front of her and they stared at each other through tear filled eyes.

Neither moved first the two of them just seemed to melt in to each other and through their racking sobs whispers could be heard.

When they finally pulled from each other they kissed a sweet first kiss and stood like that forgetting the rest of the world.

"I promise to never leave again. I love you." Alice murmured against his lips.

"I love you too." He murmured back.


End file.
